Chinese singer-songwriter Wanting Qu new Vancouver tourism ambassador

VANCOUVER - Tourism Vancouver, eager to build on the astronomical growth in Chinese vacationers to Canada, has harnessed the power of one of China’s newest and hottest singer-songwriters — Vancouver’s Wanting Qu — to serve as its first tourism ambassador.

Wanting’s signing this week comes as Vancouver and B.C. experience double-digit growth from Chinese tourism. China’s dominating business influence around the world is well known. But as its middle class rises, it is also being seen as a major source of new international tourists.

Stephen Pearce, Tourism Vancouver’s vice-president of leisure travel and digital marketing, said China is third behind the United States and the United Kingdom in visitor overnight stays to Vancouver. Last year, Chinese tourists made more than 150,000 overnight visits to the city, compared to 175,000 from the UK and 1.8 million from the U.S.

But within a year or two, China will overtake the U.K., he said, while tourism from the U.S. remains stagnant.

“We’ve been looking at flat growth out of the U.S. for the past several years, and double-digit growth out of China over the same period. Going into the future we see that continuing to be the trend,” Pearce said.

“What we are seeing is more liberalized policies in terms of Chinese people being able to travel. We are seeing more affluent Chinese as a sector of the economy in terms of where they want to travel. I think Canada is a fresh destination and they are discovering us, and I think Vancouver has got brand awareness.”

“I think the Olympics put us on the radar screen with China, and I think this relationship with Wanting Qu will do that again,” he said.

Wanting, who moved to Vancouver when she was 16, will help create six videos marrying some of her award-winning music with images of Vancouver, Whistler and B.C. In the fall, Tourism Vancouver will also bring over four lucky fans from China on an all-expenses paid Wanting-escorted trip to Vancouver and Whistler.

“She’s doing this for the love of the destination. I know that is sounding like something of a cliché, but she is doing something we couldn’t possibly envision we could do with a person of her calibre,” Pearce said. “We think that the Vancouver people will see through her eyes, through the videos we expect to develop with her, featuring her music and featuring Vancouver and area, will inspire people to come here.”

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson also welcomed Tourism Vancouver’s efforts to broaden the city’s tourism reach to Asia. “Wanting is representative of the incredibly talented overseas Chinese who are part of Vancouver,” Robertson said. “We are proud to be a growing global hub for creative talent and I extend my thanks to Wanting for sharing her enthusiasm for Vancouver in China.”

Chinese singer-songwriter Wanting Qu new Vancouver tourism ambassador

Video

Today's News

Best of Postmedia

Be afraid. Be very afraid. Ignore the diversions in the United States: athletes kneeling or standing during the national anthem; Republicans flailing and failing again on health care; a kick-boxing creationist possibly becoming senator from Alabama. Calamity looms elsewhere. We are hurtling toward war with North Korea. It may be as early as next month. […]

It wasn’t in the middle of a farmer’s muddy field or deep in the boreal forest where the Canadian oilsands truly struck pay dirt. It was inside Fort McMurray’s recreation centre. More than 1,400 oilpatch workers, corporate executives, provincial leaders and the country’s prime minister assembled 21 years ago in northern Alberta to grasp a […]

Google’s powerful search engine is defeating some court-ordered publication bans in Canada and undermining efforts to protect young offenders and victims. Computer experts believe it’s an unintended, “mind-boggling” consequence of Google search algorithms. In six high-profile cases documented by the Citizen, searching the name of a young offender or victim online pointed to media coverage […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.